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Grass grows in a dried-out farm pond near Cuba, Illinois. The pond used to supply water for cattle being raised on the surrounding pasture. The drought in 2012 has forced the farmer to truck in water and extra feed, to supplement the dry grass, from another farm nearly 20 miles away. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

(CBS) — Illinois has just lived through the second warmest and tenth driest year on record.

WBBM Newsradio’s John Cody reports Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel said 2012 saw an average statewide temperature of 55.5 degrees, which is 3.3 degrees above normal.

The only warmer year on record was 1921, when the average temperature was 55.6 degrees.

With a rainfall of only 30 inches – 10 inches below average – it was a brutal year for Illinois crops.

Angel said it was the 10th driest year for Illinois since the state started keeping track in 1895.

He said reasonable precipitation this year would recharge soil moisture for farmers, before it begins to refill groundwater aquifers, and bring lakes and streams back up to average levels.